Blog Entries...

Do you ever make up blog entries while you're at the sink doing dishes, or maybe while out weeding...and when you come back to your blog, you realize you never posted any of these?
Life has been a whirl of activities.I had a class with a dear friend and her sister visiting from Holland. Danielle let me take a shot of her version of the double cascade card, she liked the way I`d used the tea cups from this card, so incorporated that on hers, instead of a big flower accent. Her card turned out beautifully don`t you think?!

On Thursday, in my mind, I wrote about the excitement of getting ready for our Town's first Market on Mainstreet. The evening's weather was spectacular and in Rocky that does need to be mentioned, as nights like this are rare. The Town turned out in full force and the activity on the street was exciting and such fun. A local band played up near where I was and I'm hoping I can have a similar spot when I attend again in a few weeks. I was tapping my toes to many of their songs if I got the chance. Thanks to everyone that stopped by to see my little stand (promises to make it a bit more eye appealing next time...between thinking the rain would wreck everything and the wind playing a factor in a paper product line, the display was minimal, wasn't it?!) But I sure enjoyed meeting some new people and catching up with old friends, which is what everyone was doing up and down the street. Just an extraordinary night!

   On Saturday we were up bright and early to a lovely sunrise, on such a different part of the horizon this time of year. My photo doesn`t transfer well onto the blog,  I was rushing to get ready but had to try to capture some part of it.

Our oldest Girlie was participating in her first Triathalon in Red Deer. Woody`s RV runs a wonderful event called KidsofSteel. She finished well and was thrilled by the achievement. It was an exciting atmosphere and all the effort by the kids doing their best and crossing the finish line was pretty emotional for me. (no surprise there, I suppose!)

I hope to get back on track with my own 100 cards (I was having such fun with that challenge) It`s looking good for today, anyway!

enjoy your sunny day!

smiles,
Laurie

A late night of Stampin'!

On Splitcoaststampers ~ my fav site for great card ideas, Stampin'Up! news and a wonderful communtiy of ladies ~ I enjoy playing along with Virtual Stamp Nights periodically. I missed the last one as it fell on the Father's Day Campout weekend, however I was checking out a few of the challenges they issued, and one for sure caught my eye! To find a technique new to me and make a card. The idea of finding a new technique was really a good idea as I knew I had ladies arriving to learn something new and play with the stamps and ink ...I found a simple and easy to follow way to do up a Background called Faux Patina! And I love the way the panels turned out, I have a really tough time covering them up with things, LOL.
These are the 3 cards I put together.

They start out with a piece of Whisper White card stock and then layer on the colours with sponge, before adding just a bit of versmark and gold embossing powder to come up with this really unique panel. Watching the piece of paper evolve into this finished piece is pretty neat.
 I'm loving the stamp set, Forever Young. The tree and this Cuckoo clock are my 2 favourites!
The idea to cut the panel into 1 1/4 inch squares came from the galleries at SCS...and I played around with different focal point, but ended up using a flower just like the original card I'd seen...and a yellow one at that...although pink looked very pretty as well as an option. I used my new to me set Build a Blossom and the punch to create this fun flower...I can't believe I took so long to buy this set!

I was having such fun putting these cards together last night...but part way through the third, I thought: it must be getting late...knowing I'm not a very fast worker...and discovered it was just after 1am...YIKES...so I glued down the last couple things and headed to bed.

I'm pretty sure the Gals loved their panels as much as me. They all turned out so pretty, I'll share a couple photos in the next couple days.

smiles,
Laurie

Back in the Saddle

I got home from the weekend camping and quickly stamped up this card for my Dad for Father's Day. I had just made him a card with a buffalo on it for his birthday, so thought I could go different and simpler this time.

After going for a quick visit with him, I set about making another card to get me back on track...I'll post it tomorrow as I am going to do it for a class for my Gals tomorrow and want it to be a surprise to them, I need to work on another example tonight of the technique.
While I was over visiting, a terrific Hailstorm blasted our place...it was spectacular! It had so much velocity, then would slack off only to pound down again, the stones were bouncing like crazy on the lawn. I love Nature in all it's forms! I do hope everyone's garrdens and roofs were okay.

off to go riding and on with the day,

enjoy your sunny day!

smiles,
Laurie

4 of 100

Good morning!
I'm off to a Field Trip with my youngest Girl. We're releasing their Fish into a local lake today!

Last night, I had a few different ideas running through my head while I was sorting through a few piles of accumulated scraps...they might come to light over the weekend. I pulled out this paper and Love It! It's called Floral District and a few of the sheets are really fabulous! (I must remember to order the Poppies on my next order). I wanted to use this saying, one of my favourite, and create a feeling of 'visiting over tea'...I ended up just using the cups as little charms in a very simple and easy card, but I love how the colours work together.

Driving back from dropping the kids to the bus, I paused a bit to watch the little orange bison babies galloping around the field back and forth, one was kicking up so much water (we've had alot of rain) and the spray looked so cool in the early morning light...I was wishing for my camera, but also just glad to see it!

Enjoy your sunny day!

smiles,
Laurie

Ottawa Tulips

I remembered my friends birthday yesterday, while looking out at my tulips. She lives in Ottawa now and  tulips often make me think of Ottawa, the massive beds of them all over the city. They have a Tulip Festival each year. The tulip bulbs, originally, at least, were given to Canada from Holland to thank us. 
from Wikipedia:
In 1945, the Dutch Royal Family sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Ottawa in gratitude for Canadians having sheltered Princess Juliana and her daughters for the preceding three years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, in the Second World War.
The most noteworthy event during their time in Canada was the birth in 1943 of Princess Margriet to Princess Julianna at the Ottawa Civic Hospital. The maternity ward was declared to be officially a temporary part of international territory, so that she would be born in no country and would inherit only her Dutch citizenship from her mother. In 1946, Juliana sent another 20,500 bulbs requesting that a display be created for the hospital, and promised to send 10,000 more bulbs each year.

We went on a school trip to Ottawa and Quebec and I remember being amazed by all the tulips. Between the tulips and the Fall leaves, Ottawa became my University town...pretty good reasons to pick a university, don't you think? LOL.
But I digress tremendously, even adding in proper facts...as I was trying to type out the story as I recalled, it was not nearly as succinct. Last night I made a card for her.

Trying to use current stuff, I perused the galleries and found this variation of a tulip, made with the Owl punch of all things! I hand cut the leaves from Garden Green and guess what! I used the Twitterpated paper again...LOL. Wish Big is from Word Play. I used the Big Shot to cut out the Label Collections framelits and  texturize the Pretty in Pink and Rose Red paper and stamped with the Creative Elements swirl on the Celery piece.

This one has even had a letter written inside it and I'll send it off in the mail today!

Three cards ~ three days!

smiles,

Laurie

Two Days~ Two Cards!

Off to a good start...
I made this card last night. A very simple sketch that appealed to me from Paper Smooches...surprisingly took more time than I'd have thought, between the colouring (which I tried to practice some of Karen Barber's technique with ink and blender pen...) and the cutting, which I enjoy.

I used Bordering on Romance and one of the expressions from Petite Pairs.  I used the Twitterpated Paper again for the little banners and Island Indigo  for the card base. I'm not sure why this photo is so blurred (or maybe it's just me needing bifocals, LOL) but I added little pearls to finish off the centres of the flowers.
Off to tidy my desk, finish unpacking from the fun wekend, and I'd like to get out to do some weeding, too...but the Pines are in full force with their yellow dust and it seems to be affecting me this year, more than I like. Leaving me with little alternative but to do some Quicken to catch up with the quarter before month end..

enjoy your sunny day,

smiles,
Laurie

A New Challenge

I'm pretty excited! I've found a neat group of gals who have committed to making 100 cards in 100 days! ...and I'm joining them! I started last night. Working off a sketch from Cardmaps, I put together this card in about 20 minutes. Those that know me, will appreciate that this is not my usual MO...as I generally deliberate over each detail far too much...

Working with Twitterpated paper and the word Create from Creative Elements~thought my launch into the challenge should state my intention~ I paired Island Indigo with Baja Blue. I had fun dying some paper flowers with Red Riding Hood ink and when they were dry this morning, attached them and viola, the card completed and posted! 1 of 100! (It is sunny and gorgeous here this morning...so you get a nice shadow from the ribbon and a bit of the definition from the scalloped edge of the punch diminished...good trade off for a beautiful morning!)
One BIG difference for me in the challenge will be that I will be shopping (the others are dedicated to using up their stash...which I think is a great idea) Me, I'm so excited about the brand new Stampin'Up! catalogue, I'll be shopping up a storm! But I want to take on the challenge to use the stuff I'm busy ordering and loving. I want to not just think Stampin' but do Stampin'.
I was away for the weekend at a wonderful Creative Retreat...and I had such a good time playing with some different mediums, I'm inspired to continue creating and playing from that as well..so everything is pointing to making more cards!
enjoy your sunny day!

smiles,
Laurie

Lunchables

Just a 'fly by post' with a photo of what I popped into the Girls' lunches this morning, with a little note on the back.

Wishing you a wonderful day yourselves.

smiles,
Laurie

To Blather or Not

So, I'm reading all about how to have a fun, exciting blog..and as with anything that you think about too much, I, myself, tend to over think it and get jammed up...and as a result often do nothing. Do you ever find yourself in the same predicament, despite the fact there are numerous quotes that encourage you to "just take that first step" "start with a baby step", "act". Let alone all the quotes of "striding forward" "Go confidently in the directions of your Dreams" (a real fav of mine).
How often to post? what content? How long? all questions running around and getting various bits of advice and ideas as I read 'how to blog' type articles...LOL, meanwhile I still don't have a concept of how to put the great sidebar thingys up!! : D
My favourite blogs are ones that have loads of their great cards posted and a bit of blather...one serendipity of a blog I may have hoped for was actually creating each day...so the blend of blather, creative stuff being shown and maybe a quote or 2 will continue to be bounced about, as well as how often and how long...but for now, I'll make an appearance to start June.
No photo...since what I'm attempting is to clear off a space, yet again, in my craft area to actually create...(and I'd rather not share the "before" picture, LOL!!)  I'm busy clearing out the Retired Stamp sets off shelves to make way for all the exciting new ones I'd like and making a few business plans amongst all the year end things at school with the Girls, riding again, now that it's Spring, Field trips, I even have a planned weekend away for a scrapbook retreat!! I have a couple ladies coming out tomorrow for the class with that cool Double Cascade card, I'm really looking forward to them putting it together.
There are some exciting things happening at Stampin'Up!, with Hostess incentives, customer deals and the launch of the new colours and catalogue!!!!!  I'll be offering the New In-Colour package again this year...touch base with me for details of  how to "have it all"!
Happy June Days to you!

smiles,
Laurie